Flair Pro 2 Crank Conversion

thingiverse

Have you ever wanted to use a crank motion on your Flair Pro 2? Yes?! What's wrong with you?Anywayses, I decided to lean into your (our) unhealthy obsession with lateral espresso acquisitions, and create a means of turning a Flair Pro 2 into a crank operated espresso machine. And this is that. And this is where we are. But just remember, you're not alone. In lieu of instructions, here are some guidelines for printing and assembly:-make sure the lower frame is printed in PETG or something with a similarly high glass transition temp: the brew chamber is hot-the upper frame is going to be under a lot of stress during extraction, so print heavy walls and infill; the same goes for the crank support-there are channels running through the upper and lower support: insert rods (threaded, dowel, metal tube, etc.) with epoxy in these channel for added strength-the crank knob has a hole sized for 6mm or ¼ inch rod-you need to bend a rod to make the crank arm: the longer it is, the more leverage you will have when brewing-this build requires one t8x2 lead screw and matching nut; I cut my screw down to about 90mm but you could make it longer and skip the plunger component (though you would have metal on metal contact on the pressure gauge-this build requires an 8mm to 6mm rigid coupler; account for the length of insertion when bending your crank arm (note: an 8mm to 8mm coupler will work; this is what I used before I found out 8mm to 6mm couplers existed)-this build will require some m3 hardware 25-30mm long; the screws are threaded through the bottom of the upper frame-into the lead screw nut-into the crank support-with nut and washer on the end; why is it done from the bottom? no good reason: do it from the top-the base is sized to accommodate a small scale, like a SearchPean Tiny or a Weightman; a Lunar might fit, and if you have a Pyxis, this might be too much jank for you-when brewing, hold the base with one hand while you turn the crank; this thing makes all sorts of noisy creaking sounds-the pressure gauge will want to rotate as you turn the crank, so but it up against the side of the frame as shown in the pictureWhy on earth would you build this? Well, it has a smaller footprint than the FP2 frame. It's slightly more portable, though presumably less durable. And it's cheaper than buying a Kazak Rota 2 or a Portapresso Rossa. Is it as nice as those machines? Don't ask silly questions. Of course it's not. But it's still kind of fun and can help you decide if you NEED a crank espresso brewer. One thing it does have that is different from those machines, apart from all the charming jank, is a narrower basket. This tends to make for heavier bodied shots, though the difference is probably slight compared to the relatively small baskets of the Rota and Rossa. But you already have that smaller basket if you own the FP2. I guess you could buy the FP2 brew head and make this and you would have a cheaper machine than the complete FP2. But now I'm starting to ramble.